This month I turn 65 and I've been married for 30 years. I'm happy about being married for 30 years but not about turning 65. I always thought life would be less complicated when I got to this age. I've found out learning about Medicare and all it's parts is very very complicated and it's going to cost money I don't have. Money will be deducted from my social security for part a and b and if I don't sign up for part d this month and pay for it from now on, I will be penalized and the penalty will go up every month and every month after that. What are all these parts anyway? Part A, B, C and D and maybe more I don't know about.
I did learn each state has a
health insurance assistance program which has counselors to help figure out all the ins and outs of Medicare. No the program doesn't help pay for medical bills even though the name suggest that, it only helps you figure out the complicated Medicare system. The government has made Medicare so complicated folks need help wading through it and the government gives grants to each state which hires and trains counselors to help us figure it out. With all that grant money to hire all those counselors they could have simplified the Medicare system so we didn't need help figuring it out and they could have covered more for us under Medicare. But governments don't know about the KISS Principle, keep it simple stupid.
Right now I have medical bills I'll be paying on for who knows how long because the insurance I was required to have by the government didn't cover anything until I paid $6000 deductible. So I had to pay premiums for insurance which didn't benefit me. If I hadn't of paid the premiums that money could have paid for the medical bills I now have. With the costs of Medicare I will have even less money and more bills I can't afford. From my perspective when I reach 65 life becomes an uphill battle and the hill will only get steeper every year.
I applied last week.Still don't know if I did it right. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteHi Dennis, thanks, I'm going to call the counselors and see what they say, as I was reading the information can change year to year too. ugh
ReplyDeleteMy parents, well now just my Dad, have medicare and a private supplemental insurance. I am not sure what they pay but they have never complained about the cost. With all the illness and surgery they had over the past 15 years, they have never been burdened with medical bills. I believe that their supplemental insurance is through AARP. Best of luck wading through the application process. I think once you figure it out, you will be better off than with what you have now.
ReplyDeleteHi Michele, thanks, several women at the gallery said "you just have to get the supplemental" and one pays $180 and the other $250 per month which I can't afford right now. Once we get our cars paid off I might be able to afford a supplemental then. We shall see.
DeleteI had to wade through all that for my mom (English is her second language.) It makes me shudder just thinking about the process, but she is covered now. She gets to continue seeing her doctor at Kaiser in SF, too. Best of luck, Linda. (PS love the graphics)
ReplyDeleteHi Charlene, thanks, yes the process and all the hundreds of pages to read through is daunting.
DeleteGood luck!!! It is nice, however, to be finally insured...
ReplyDeleteHi Turquoisemoon, thanks, I guess I was spoiled when I was younger it was so much less money and so much more coverage and very low deductibles; medicare only covers 80% at that so any problem still costs me. ugh
DeleteLike Michèle, my mom has medicare and supplemental via AARP and she received excellent care when she was sick earlier this year, same with my dad when he was diagnosed with cancer.
ReplyDeleteSadly, our government is in a battle to prove which party is the best party and we, the people that they are supposed to work for are the ones that are loosing.
Hi Lori, thanks, well hopefully in the future I can afford to get a supplemental which sounds like the best way to go but can't afford it now, government has gotten too big for it's britches and what do they have to worry about they get medical care free for life.
DeleteI am so sorry. It sounds sooooo much more complicated than our medicare system.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find a way through the confusion.
Hi Sue, thanks, as I said you know how governments are and all the bills they pass take them years to develop with hundreds of pages.
DeleteLinda, I am a social worker and have waded through this many times; look into an Advatage Plan.. it takes the place of Medicare and supplemental and in some Part D prescriptions. ''You sign up for there Advantage Plan( they come in a variety of options) with few deductible, no deductibles etc.. you p[ay very little after that. My sister is on one she pays a under $100 a month and it covers meds, doc, hospital etc, vision,etc. This might be your best bet.
ReplyDeleteYou do not need an additional Prescription plan if you pick an Advantage plan with RX.Joan
Hi Joan, thanks, I guess i will try to get an Advantage Plan that can cover what I think I might need, problem is as we age we don't know what we will need. thanks so much for your input
DeleteI got great news from SS today. Although I was exempt on my teaching wages( I paid into a separate system) I always had some self employment earnings that were taxed at the high self employed rate.It wasn't earning me a big SS check but it was going to be a little extra. Today they explained that the $250 a month SS that they had been predicting was going to be cut to 103 because I had my teachers retirement coming in.They didn't complain when I paid into their system all those years. Remember as self employment, I paid the full premium for my social security because there were no employer contributions. My Medicare will cost $104 so I have a net loss of $1 before paying for my supplementals. Geez, it's always something.
ReplyDeleteHi Dennis, thanks, that's good news but how much are your supplementals going to cost you ? As I am understanding from Joan just above you the advantage plan would be instead of Medicare and then they woulnd't deduct anything from SS ?
DeleteI think some people just like to make this difficult so they can keep their jobs! There is no need for things to be turned into a three-ringed circus or a Cecil B. deMille production!
ReplyDeleteHi Lee, thanks, for some reasons governments benefit from being bigger and those working there too but for those not working there it's a different story, a bureaucracy at some point enhances itself, the federal government is too big, and has become an entity unto itself
DeleteLinda, I went on Medicare several years ago, and it was confusing then, and there have been yearly changes and it's even more confusing now! As others mentioned, you may want to go with the Advantage plan. I have the regular and pay for prescription coverage as well as a supplement. The biggest problem I see with Medicare is that so many Dr.s are opting out/refusing to accept it anymore and it's getting more difficult to find a new Dr. I had to do that recently when my very good Dr. of 14 years moved away. I was required to stay in the same "system" and got one Dr. who totally messed with 4 of my diagnoses..saying nothing wrong, then when I went to the ER they were all diagnosed, now I have all these specialists. I immediately demanded to change Primary care Drs. and now have one I dislike just as much as the first one. sigh
ReplyDeleteOne thing I will tell you, that each and every time I have had to call Medicare with questions, they have been very helpful..so they have good phone customer service. smile